Police strengthen pack after historical season

• Police Sports Club landed their first major trophy after three decades when they won the Clifford Cup last season. Although they had to settle for a middle table finish in the league, the last year would go down as one of their most memorable seasons.

The Cops, however, have recruited some top players ahead of the new season in a bid to improve their standings in the league, sealing two key forwards in the form of prop Ashan Darling (CR) and number 8
Heshan Kalhara (Kandy).

“We have signed Ashan, Heshan, and Sooriya Dodangoda to strengthen our team, and I am confident they can deliver the performances we expect from them,” revealed Police head coach Nilfer Ibrahim.

Second row Mohan Wimalaratne, who led them to Clifford Cup victory last year, has been retained as the captain for this season as well.

“Police captain for the upcoming season will be Mohan, as he led the team well last season, and he will be well supported by our forwards Shanaka Harischandra, Udaya Sanjula, Lahiru Thilakaratne, and Danushka Edirisooriya,” added the former Kandy player.

Police head coach further believes that they could take a lot of confidence from their performance in the last season.

“Finishing 5th in the league and winning the knockout tournament was incredible, especially defeating the league champions by a margin of 46 points. It was a morale-boosting victory, and we are determined to build on that success. We’ve adjusted our training approach to focus on match-phase simulations with defensive setups. We’ve also reduced training hours while ensuring the sessions are high-quality and effective,” said Nilfer.

Police SC has seen some of their top players making it to the national team in the recent past, and Nilfer believes their experience at the top level is very important to their success.

“Having four players at the national level and four representing Sri Lanka 7’s has been invaluable. Their experience has had a significant impact, as they’ve shared their knowledge and elevated the overall
standard of the team,” added Nilfer.

Speaking about their targets for the next season, Nilfer stated that they have their eyes set on winning the league.

“Our goal is to become the top rugby club in Sri Lanka and to win the league title. Winning the knockout tournament after 33 years and the 7s after 35 years has fuelled our drive to achieve this. We are committed to working hard to make it happen,” he said.